Method of making stitchdown shoes



Nov. 25, 1941. v M. CASSOTTA 2,264,112

METHOD OF MAKING STITCHDOWN SHOES Filed July 10, 1939 I I x INVENTOR HICHAEI'L C4$ 0rrA 'Z ATTQRNEY Patented Nov. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES, FATE 'r OFFICE- Michael Cassotta, Corona, $1., assignor to A.

Werman & Sons,1nc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application July 1939,. Serial No. 283,581

1 Claim. (01. 12-442) The present invention relates to stitchdown shoe construction and more particularly to improvements in the construction of the heel portion of such a shoe to enable a close-edge-heelseat method of manufacture which can be carried out rapidly and will produce an article of superior strength and appearance.

In a stitchdown shoe of the usual type heretofore in use, the insole is secured to the assembled upper by stitching passing through theinsole and the outturned edge of the assembled upper, and the outsole is attached to the insole by stitching passing through. the outsole, the insole, the outturned edge of the assembledupper, and a welt placed over said outturned edge of the upper to strengthen the shoe and improve itsv appearance. It should be understood that the assembled upper comprises the assembly of the lining with the upper material at the outside of the shoe and with the counter which is located at the heel portion between the outer material and said lining.

In such a prior shoe; the outsole stitching; is not only visible around the edge of the sole to the front of the heel but also is visible around the heel portion of the shoe where the stitching passes through the projecting edge of the sole. This arrangement at the heel tends to give the impression of an inferior shoe as compared with the Goodyear Welt shoes in which the sole at the heel does not extend outwardly from the heel of the upper part of the shoe. Another disadvantage of the prior shoe is that the counter is not held firmly in position against inward pressure.

An important object of the invention is to provide a novel and advantageous stitchdown shoe which is free of the aforesaid and other disadvantages. Another important object is to provide a novel and advantageous method of making stitchdown shoes. A further object of the invention is to provide for improved construction of the heel portion of a stitchdown shoe whereby there will be obtained a close-edge heel seat. Another object is to provide a stitchdown shoe of improved appearance and construction and adapted for rapid and economical manufacture.

According to a preferred method of making a shoe in accordance with the present invention, the first step is to assemble on a last the assembled upper, the insole and a heel piece placed between the heel portion of the insole an the last. For the purposes of this invention, this heel piece may be undercut, as by beveling, so

as to allow the lining, counter and upper ma serial to be wiped under the bevel of the heel piece and over the corresponding edge ofv the insole, and the stitching of the assembled: upper to the insole to be inclined downwardly and iiiwardly to act to draw the folded material downwardly and inwardly and hold it in position. The outsole may then bev placed on the insole and secured to the rest'of the: shoe by outsole stitching extending completely around the shoe and passing through a usual; welt. At the heel portion; the outsole. stitching is close to the upper and inclined downwardly and inwardly so that in the. finished shoe, projection of the edge. of the sole and! the heel from the upper part of the shoe may be avoided and the finished shoe will have the general appearance of a Goodyear Welt shoe which. would sell at a. much higher price.

Preferably, in finishing the heel portion of. the shoe of. the presentv invention, the material'beneath the welt is removed, as. by cutting, to bring the heel to the proper size,.but the welt is allowed. to remain at its full width. Then the welt at the heel. portion is pounded, manually or by. machine,rinwardly' so as to conceal the stitching at the upper part of the welt- Heretcfore'ithas been proposed to construct the front part of the shoe by the ordinary stitchdown method and at the rear of the shoe to narrow the insole. and: bring the upper around the edge to the bottom of the insole and secure it thereto preparatory to securing the heel in position. It will be evident that according to applicant's method the stitching can be carried completely around the margin of the shoe and attachment effected in a single operation, whereas, if the heel portion of the upper is secured to the insole in some other Way, two difierent kinds of operation -may be necessary, one for the front part of the shoe and the other for the heel portion of the shoe, and the cost of manufacture would be much higher.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear upon consideration of the following detailed description of the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a shoe embodying the present invention, certain parts being in section to show details of structure;

Fig. 2 is a vertical half cross-section of the heel portion of the shoe of Fig. 1 but on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the heel piece shown in section in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the shoe showing an intermediate stage of manufacture.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a stitchdown shoe I embodying the present invention and comprising an upper II, a lining l2, an insole I3, an outsole I4, a heel-stiffener or counter I5, a welt I6 and a heel piece I! formed according to the present invention with an undercut edge at the sides and rear and a forward end so tapered as to decrease in thickness toward its forward edge.

In making the shoe I0, there are assembled on a last (not shown) the insole I3, the heel piece I! between the heel portion of the insole and the last, and the assembled upper comprising the upper II, the lining I2 and the counter I5. The parts are so assembled that the material of the upper and the lining are folded and parts thereof extend outwardly over the top of the insole I3. Around the shank and the front of the sole, the lining I2 as well as the upper II will extending outwardly for attachment to the insole and around the heel portion of the shoe not only the upper and the lining but also the lower edge of the counter will extend outwardly over the upper surface of the edge portion of the insole.

After all the parts of the shoe have been assembled on the last, a line of insole stitching I9 may be run completely around the shoe to secure the outwardly folded parts to the insole. Along the shank and front part of the shoe the result will be substantially the same as in prior stitchdown shoes. However, around the heel portion of the shoe, a different result may be obtained due to the use of the heel piece H with the undercut edge at the sides and rear and the tapered forward end. As a result of the provision of the undercut edge of the heel piece the insole stitching I9 may be inclined downwardly and inwardly so as to draw the lining, counter and upper inwardly with reference to the shoe and tend to force them under the overhang caused by undercutting the edge of the heel piece. This will assist in rendering the upper part of stitching I9 substantially invisible. Then the welt I6 is placed in position and the outsole stitching 20 is run around. the edge of the sole, the part of the stitching at the heel being inclined.

After the outsole I4 is secured in position by the outsole stitching 20, a heel 2| is secured to the shoe and the different parts of the heel below the welt I6 are trimmed, as by cutting, to approximately the final size but the welt I6 is left of full width so that the outer edge of the welt may be pounded, manually or otherwise, into position over the stitching in the usual groove or scoring at the upper surface of the welt and in which the outsole stitching tends to bury itself.

In addition to making it possible to properly position the insole and outsole stitching at the heel in the inclined position specified, the heel piece has the important advantage that with its undercut edges which act on the heel portion of the upper, including the counter, it tends to hold the counter and associated parts in position.

It should be understood that certain features may be varied and that certain features may be used without others, without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

The method of making a stitchdown shoe with a close-edge heel seat, which comprises assembling on a last an insole, a heel piece located between the heel portion of the insole and the last and beveled at its sides and rear to form an undercut edge, and an upper and a counter with their lower parts folded to provide outturned portions at the upper surface of the insole, the outturned portions of the upper extending completely around the margin of the insole, wiping the lower portions of the upper and counter under said undercut edge of the heel piece, running insole stitching completely around the shoe to secure the insole to the upper and counter, the insole stitching being inclined downwardly and inwardly to draw inwardly the folded portions of the upper and counter, laying an outsole on the insole, placing a welt over theoutturned portion of the upper, running a line of'outsole stitching through the welt and completely around the shoe with the portion of the stitching at the heel inclined inwardly and downwardly to draw the welt inwardly as well as downwardly toward the outsole, trimming the heel portions beneath the welt while leaving an outwardly projecting portion of the welt, and compressing the outer edge portion of the welt at the heel over the top of the outsole stitching to conceal'the same.

MICHAEL CASSOTTA. 

